Popeyes Chicken to open 4 more Dayton-area restaurants

New franchise owner’s expansion will start in Springboro, but it won’t stop there

The quick-serve restaurant chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is gearing up to more than double its footprint in the Dayton area, starting with a new restaurant in Springboro, its local franchisee said this morning.

Popeyes — once a Dayton-area mainstay known for its fried chicken and Cajun-style side dishes — operates two restaurants in the Dayton-Springfield region, at 3796 Salem Ave. in Harrison Twp. and at 2134 S. Limestone St. in Springfield. A Sugarcreek Twp. location at 5800 Wilmington Pike near I-675 shut its doors in 2010.

Now, Popeyes is poised for a comeback. The new Springboro Popeyes is scheduled to be built in the 800 block of West Central Avenue (Ohio 73) just east of I-75, according to Pat Gilligan, Popeye Louisiana Kitchen’s area franchisee for southwest Ohio.

“I’m looking to develop three or four more locations over the next 18 months,” said Gilligan, who also is the Dayton-area franchisee for Dunkin’ Donuts.

The Springboro location will be built in a tract of vacant land on the south side of West Central Avenue, adjacent to an Applebee’s restaurant and across the street from Taco Bell, Gilligan said. The 2,800-square-foot restaurant with a drive-through will seat about 46 and will create 30 to 40 jobs, the franchise owner said.

If all goes well with permits and approvals, Gilligan said the new restaurant should be under construction by September. Plans call for the new Popeyes to open in early 2017, he said.

Gilligan purchased the Springfield and Harrison Twp. Popeyes locations, along with five Cincinnati-area restaurants, in January.

“Popeyes is expanding all over the country, and demand for Popeyes chicken has been growing,” Gilligan said.

Popeyes had multiple locations in the Dayton area in the early 1980s, but those closed, and the region went without the Cajun-themed chicken for several years. When the Salem Avenue Popeyes opened in 2001, devotees flocked to the restaurant for several days, causing waits of up to an hour.

Popeyes’ menu includes several fried-chicken options and sides such as Red Beans and Rice, Cajun Fries and Biscuits.